Plump rows of riesling grapes at Markus Schneider's winery in Ellerstadt, 100 kilometers southwest of Frankfurt, soak up the sun's rays in the crucial days before the harvest begins.
``This vintage ripened early, they're very healthy grapes,'' Schneider said, smiling with enthusiasm as he gestured across the valley to his finest rows of riesling on slopes in the foothills of the Haardt mountains. The vines are 280 meters above sea level and won't be harvested for another two to three weeks.
Schneider, along with other winemakers across Germany, is hoping for dry weather to produce a fruity, acid vintage similar to 2002, considered one of the best of the past 10 years. Though smaller than last year's, the 2008 harvest could yield some fine wines, said Joel Payne, editor-in-chief of the Gault Millau ``Guide to German Wines,'' Germany's best-known wine handbook.
``The riesling, given another couple of weeks, could be excellent,'' Payne said in a telephone interview. ``If the weather holds out, it could be a vintage like 2002.''
The harvest began on the weekend of Sept. 12 in most areas and takes place over several weeks. Some varietals, such as sauvignon blanc, have already been picked. Riesling grapes, which make up more than 20 percent of German wine production, stay on the vine as long as the sun keeps shining -- or even longer, in the case of sweet wines.
German wines have experienced a revival in recent years as lower-alcohol, dry rieslings refresh palates jaded by heavy, New World blends. Simplified labels are also helping to win new customers. In addition, the wines themselves are benefiting from warmer weather patterns, according to Payne at Gault Millau.
French Exports
By volume, exports rose by 18 percent in 2006 from 2005, according to the Deutsches Weininstitut, or German Wine Institute. Figures for 2007 are not yet published. French exports rose 6 percent in the same period. Yet in the first six months of this year, French wine exports by volume have fallen 8.7 percent, according to a September newsletter issued by Viniflhor, the government's organization for fruit, vegetable and wine producers.
Though there are no comparable figures for Germany so far, Klaus Rueckrich from the Deutscher Weinbauverband, the association of German wine producers, said demand from abroad for German rieslings is ``strong and growing.''
Still, Payne warned, exports to the U.S. may suffer in the wake of the banking crisis.
``People taking an interest in upscale wines were working at Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers,'' Payne said. ``They may now be drinking their collections rather than expanding them.''
Frost Damage
Production in both Germany and France will be lower this year than last. The French harvest is predicted to yield 5 percent fewer grapes than last year, according to figures from Viniflhor. For Germany, the DWI forecasts 10 million hectoliters this year, down 3.8 percent from 10.4 million last year.
Bordeaux and southern France suffered a frost in April that damaged some grapes, Viniflhor said in a statement. In contrast, Germany had a warm, wet summer in major wine-growing regions, according to Ansgar Engel, a meteorologist at the German weather service in Offenbach, speaking in a telephone interview.
Erwin Buschler, a spokesman for the DWI wine institute, is hoping for a ``golden October.''
``It's difficult to make precise estimates about the vintage until it's been bottled,'' he said.
The forecast until Sept. 28 is ideal for grape harvesting, Engel said, with ``sunny, dry days and temperatures around 19 degrees.'' After that, temperatures may drop and showers are possible, Engel said.
Verhoeven Premiere
Schneider, 33, released his first vintage in 1994. His ``Black Print'' blend of St. Laurent, syrah, merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes was served at last year's German premiere of Paul Verhoeven's World War II movie ``Black Book'' in Berlin. He expects to be ``happy'' with the 2008 vintage.
For winemakers, ``there's no such thing as a bad year, only bad weather,'' he said. ``The vines regulate themselves. When they've had a very big year, they yield less the next one.''
Sixty kilometers north of Schneider's winery, Carolin Spanier-Gillot at Weingut Kuehling-Gillot in the Rheinterasse region said a May visit to meet clients in major U.S. cities had ``sensational results'' with dry rieslings in particular proving ``very, very popular.''
She is also optimistic about this year's vintage. Production, though, will be lower -- only 250,000 liters, compared with 300,000 last year.
``We spend the whole year calculating, doing everything to be prepared for when the weather changes,'' said Spanier-Gillot, whose family has been making wines in Bodenheim for 200 years.
A sunny, dry September would allow the winery's 15 grape- pickers to complete the harvest in four weeks, half the time they needed last year, when they were interrupted by rain, she said.
